The price of a full six-month treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis has dropped under USD 300, following a third major price cut this year — a major step toward affordable care for all.
“In the current financial environment in which every penny matters, this is a huge achievement,” said Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of Stop TB Partnership, Switzerland.
The Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility lowered the price through a series of reductions, including 30% off the medicine bedaquiline and 25% off pretomanid. Together, these cuts reduced the cost of the BPaLM regimen — a six-month combination treatment using four key drugs — from USD 588 to USD 284, a 52% drop. The savings could fund thousands of extra treatments each year. With several WHO-approved regimens now below the USD 300 mark, this breakthrough will allow more patients in low- and middle-income countries to access life-saving therapy, bringing the world closer to ending tuberculosis as a public health threat.
